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Vote now in the SJA Sports Broadcast awards

Sky Sports' cricket commentator Michael Holding, right, collects the TV Sports Programme of the Year trophy last March from sportswriter Scyld Berry

It’s voting time in the SJA’s British Sports Broadcasting Awards, with three categories at the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards on March 12 to recognise excellence in front of the television camera and behind the radio microphone.

The broadcast awards form a unique element of the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards, with the results determined by an online poll of the SJA’s members.

There was no more surprised or delighted winner at last year’s award presentation than the BBC’s tennis commentator Jonathan Overend. Now the race is on to find his successor as SJA broadcaster of the year, and to select the TV and radio sports programmes of the year.

Last year, Jake Humphrey pushed Overend every inch of the way in the broadcaster voting and the BBC F1 television coverage presenter is nominated once again.

Ed Chamberlin has become a familliar face on Sky’s presentation of football and is also in the frame. Mark Chapman and Mark Pougatch, who present much of BBC Radio 5Live’s sport coverage, are also expected to poll heavily.

Last year cricket swept the board in both our radio and television programme categories. Michael Holding was on hand to receive the award for Sky’s television coverage cricket, and the BBC’s Test Match Special again received the best radio award.

Sky Sports’ coverage of cricket is again among the television nominees, along with that channel’s coverage of football. But in a BBC-dominated shortlist for radio sports radio programme, perhaps one of the biggest surprises is the absence this year from our expert judges’ selections is the absence of TMS.

The Rugby World Cup featured prominently on the autumn television and radio schedules, and accordingly in our nominations: ITV Sport is shortlisted for their television coverage from New Zealand, while Talksport makes the radio programme contenders following it having the rights to cover the tournament for the first time.

As well as coverage, this year’s programme shortlists feature two one-off documentaries that demonstrated outstanding sports journalism in broadcasting: Channel 4 Dispatches‘ investigation into drug use in football, and Radio 5’s moving piece about depression among first-class cricketers.

The shortlists for the our awards have been drawn up in conjunction with leading figures from within the sports broadcasting business.

Voting is open to all members and closes at midnight on Friday, February 24.

Voting is exclusively online. Only paid-up members of the SJA are eligible to vote, and they are allowed on one vote each. Members are asked to order their top three in each category, and their votes need to be taken from the shortlisted candidates. Please do not print off the voting form and post it – paper votes will not be counted.